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Metropolitan Notes: Crosby, Wilson, Devils

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With Mike Sullivan and the Pittsburgh Penguins agreeing to part ways, reporters at general manager Kyle Dubas’ press conference today asked several questions related to Sidney Crosby’s involvement in the process. At one point during the conference, tensions appeared to rise slightly when Dubas was asked if Crosby was happy with the change. Dubas immediately responded that he wouldn’t speak on behalf of the team’s long-time captain.

Dubas was also asked if he thought the decision to move on from Sullivan would cause Crosby to want to leave Pittsburgh as well, to which he simply replied, “No,” per Rob Rossi of The Athletic. Dubas noted that he called Crosby on Sunday to give him the heads up on the decision and added that his job is to do what’s best for the franchise.

This past offseason, Crosby signed a two-year extension that is scheduled to keep him in Pittsburgh through the 2026-27 season and carries an average annual value of $8.7 million. It is fair to wonder what Crosby’s thoughts are on a potential rebuild, which isn’t a term that Dubas used today, but was the tone he used in discussing the immediate future of the franchise. With that said, the two previous coaching changes Crosby was around for (Sullivan and Dan Bylsma before him) resulted in immediate Stanley Cup victories.

Elsewhere in the Metro:

  • Washington Capitals power forward Tom Wilson’s physicality has been a key catalyst in the team’s first-round matchup against the Canadiens, writes The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber. As Silber notes, Wilson delivered a big hit on Alexandre Carrier that led to the game-tying goal in game four, which the Caps would go on to win 5-2. Washington is now just one win away from moving on to the second round. While the hit has drawn speculation as to its legality, no penalty was called, and momentum was clearly shifted toward the Capitals. As Wilson said after the game: “It’s been a physical series both ways, getting hit, giving hits, they’ve been really physical, so it’s a long series. You just try and kind of invest and continue to play hard every shift you’re out there. It was a big hit and the boys were able to score right after. That’s the way hockey goes.” It was the second consecutive game Wilson’s physicality came into play. In game three, Wilson and Josh Anderson engaged in a wrestling match that ended up spilling into Washington’s bench. Both players received roughing minors and 10-minute misconducts and were also assessed $5,000 fines for unsportsmanlike conduct.
  • Missing key blueliners Luke Hughes, Brenden Dillon, and Johnathan Kovacevic, the Devils struggled badly in their game four loss to the Hurricanes—and with all three expected to remain out for game five, their defensive woes are likely to continue. Per team reporter Amanda Stein, all three will miss game five, which will likely require veterans Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, and Brian Dumoulin to continue to play extended minutes, Dennis Cholowski to continue to play his first career playoff games, and force higher than anticipated ice time for Jonas Siegenthaler, who just returned from an injury himself. from his own injury. With three starters missing from their blueline, the Devils are trying to replace nearly 60 minutes of combined ice time, as well as 77 combined regular season points, 267 combined blocked shots, and more than 300 combined hits. Carolina currently leads the series 3-1.

 

 

Metro Notes: Flyers, Perevalov, McIlrath

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As one of the several teams looking for a new head coach this offseason, the Philadelphia Flyers are taking their time with the search. In a new article from Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, the Philadelphia-based journalist publicized the most recent developments from the Flyers organization.

As expected, Kurz indicates the Flyers are monitoring Rick Tocchet’s situation in Vancouver, as he’s viewed as their favorite candidate. Philadelphia won’t be allowed to engage with Tocchet until his contract formally expires on June 30th, but the Flyers will have interest if he doesn’t extend with the Canucks.

The only candidate that Kurz explicitly stated isn’t considered a fit is David Carle from the University of Denver, who recently withdrew his name from consideration for the Chicago Blackhawks. As other potential candidates, Kurz reports that Joel Quenneville and Western Michigan University’s Pat Ferschweiler haven’t been ruled out, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Flyers will target either.

Lastly, after the Flyers dismissed three of their assistant coaches last week, Kurz believes this indicates the team will retain Brad Shaw as an assistant coach. Before being named the team’s interim head coach toward the end of the 2024-25 campaign, Shaw served as Philadelphia’s associate coach for approximately three years.

Other happenings from the Metropolitan Division:

  • The Carolina Hurricanes won’t have one of their 2022 draft selections for at least one more year. In a report from Sport42, Hurricanes prospect Alexander Perevalov has agreed to a one-year extension with the VHL’s Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Perevalov got off to a bad start last season, scoring three goals and six points in 21 games for the Omskie Krylia. Still, he rebounded nicely upon joining Metallurg, tallying eight goals and 23 points in 26 contests.
  • Similarly to Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj, the Department of Player Safety has fined Washington Capitals defenseman Dylan McIlrath $2,018.23 for unsportsmanlike conduct in yesterday’s pre-game warm-up. Again, the league didn’t share any specifics of the altercation, but video footage indicates the two sharing words with several members of the opposing teams.

Central Notes: Heiskanen, Johansson, Wiesblatt

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Before the Round One matchup between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars shifted to Denver for Games 3 and 4, there was some belief defenseman Miro Heiskanen would return to the Stars lineup in one of those contests, given he was traveling with the team. Heiskanen was not activated, and that will not change this evening either.

According to Brien Rea of Victory+, it’s already been confirmed that Heiskanen won’t return for Game 5 as the series moves back to American Airlines Center. Still, Heiskanen is considered on a day-to-day recovery timeline after already returning to the ice for practice, and should be back in the lineup any day now.

Fortunately, the series isn’t as lopsided as it should be for the Heiskanen-less Stars. Despite being outscored by a margin of six and having only had the lead for 62 seconds in the entire series, Dallas has still managed to keep the series split two games apiece.

Other Central notes:

  • The Minnesota Wild could get a boost to their forward core for an important Game 5. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, Wild winger Marcus Johansson has returned to practice after missing Game 4 with a lower-body injury. Still, Johansson wasn’t as impactful as some of his peers through the first three games of the series, as he only tallied one assist while averaging 13:54 of ice time per game.
  • The AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, affiliated with the NHL’s Nashville Predators, have inked a forward to a rare three-year AHL contract beginning in the 2025-26 AHL season. Oasiz Wiesblatt, brother of Ozzy Wiesblatt, is joining the club from the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. The younger Wiesblatt recently finished his fourth full major junior season as captain of the Tigers, scoring 36 goals and 103 points in 66 games.

Atlantic Notes: Pastrňák, Lauko, Xhekaj, Tavares

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Team Czechia got a boost to their repeat efforts for the 2025 IIHF World Championships. The Boston Bruins announced that star winger David Pastrňák and depth forward Jakub Lauko would play for their native country during this year’s rendition of the international competition.

It’ll be the sixth time Pastrňák has played in the tournament, as he’s usually joined Team Czechia relatively quickly after the Bruins have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. He helped Czechia win the gold medal last year, tallying one goal in four contests. Throughout his career, Pastrňák has scored 14 goals and 30 points in 32 tournament contests, additionally helping Czechia to a bronze medal in 2022.

Meanwhile, Lauko will participate in his first international tournament since the 2019-20 IIHF World Junior Championships. He was typically an unnoteworthy player in those tournaments, scoring one goal and three points in 12 games throughout three tournaments.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Due to some extracurricular activity before Game 4 between the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals, the league’s Department of Player Safety decided to bestow some punishments. The Department of Player Safety announced they’ve fined Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj $3,385.42, the maximum allowable under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, for unsportsmanlike conduct during warm-ups of yesterday’s contest. The league didn’t allude to any specific actions from Xhekaj, but he was seen exchanging words with a few Capitals players from his side of the red line.
  • Despite failing to close the series in Game 4, the Toronto Maple Leafs have avoided a serious injury to one of their top centers. According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, a concussion spotter pulled Maple Leafs forward John Tavares during overtime in Game 4, but he cleared the tests to return. The concussion spotter’s worry likely came from Tavares receiving a high hit from Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub in front of Ottawa’s net, which made contact with Tavares’ head.

Blues Recall Nikita Alexandrov, Colten Ellis, Corey Schueneman

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The Blues’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, had their season end last night when they were bounced in the first round by the Providence Bruins. St. Louis is thus adding a few Springfield fixtures to their roster as healthy extras for the playoffs, announcing they’ve recalled center Nikita Alexandrov, goaltender Colten Ellis, and defenseman Corey Schueneman. Netminder Will Cranley, who was previously rostered as the Blues’ third goalie to begin the postseason, was returned to ECHL Florida in a corresponding move.

It’s Alexandrov’s first stint on the roster since the 2023-24 campaign. After playing 51 games over the prior two seasons and signing a two-way deal late in training camp after spending much of the summer on the restricted free agent market, St. Louis waived Alexandrov and subsequently reassigned him to Springfield to begin 2024-25. While the 24-year-old Russian didn’t get a call-up opportunity, he made the most of his time in Springfield and exploded for a 21-28–49 scoring line in just 48 appearances. He didn’t record a point in three playoff outings, but Alexandrov’s 1.02 points per game led Springfield and ranked 12th among AHLers with at least 25 games played.

A 2019 second-round pick, Alexandrov is headed for restricted free agency again this summer. The Blues likely intend to qualify him after a strong minor-league showing, but he may hold out in hopes of landing a clearer path to NHL minutes elsewhere. He could be a cheap in-house replacement for pending UFA Radek Faksa if St. Louis wants to use that cap space elsewhere, though.

Ellis will now serve as the No. 3 in net behind Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer after a spotless 2024-25 campaign. The 24-year-old erupted for a 2.63 GAA, .922 SV%, three shutouts, and a 22-14-5 record in 42 regular-season showings for Springfield and was rewarded with a two-year extension in March. He also posted a .933 SV% in the T-Birds’ three-game loss to Providence. While he may not have an NHL appearance on his resume, there are far worse EBUG options on postseason rosters.

Schueneman will end his campaign with the NHL club after making four appearances for the Blues in the regular season, his first since the 2022-23 campaign. The 29-year-old lefty got a run of games in November and was called up as a healthy extra a few more times throughout the year. The former Canadiens rearguard signed a two-way extension in January to keep him in St. Louis/Springfield through 2025-26. He posted 4-16–20 with a plus-eight rating in 63 AHL contests.

Cranley will re-join the Florida Everblades, who swept their first-round series against the Jacksonville Icemen in their quest for a Kelly Cup four-peat. He put up a .896 SV% in 23 regular-season appearances there. The 2020 sixth-rounder likely won’t see playoff action, though. AHL-contracted veteran Cam Johnson has been in the crease for the Everblades’ last three championship runs and had a .935 SV% in the first round.

Jets’ Gabriel Vilardi Likely To Play Game 5

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Jets top-line forward Gabriel Vilardi is expected to make his 2025 playoffs debut in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Blues, head coach Scott Arniel said today (via John Lu of TSN).

Vilardi won’t have his minutes limited in his return to the lineup, Arniel said. The 25-year-old hasn’t played since sustaining an upper-body injury against the Sabres on March 23, missing over a month.

Riding shotgun with Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele to form the most-deployed line at 5-on-5 in the league this season, Vilardi enjoyed a career-high 27 goals, 34 assists, and 61 points in 71 games before injury ended his season. The 6’3″, 216-lb forward averaged 18:08 per game, third-most among Winnipeg forwards behind his linemates, and led the team with 12 power-play goals. That’ll make him a huge boost to a Jets power play that’s clicking at just 16.7% against St. Louis thus far, 13th among 16 playoff teams and 12.2 percentage points worse than their league-leading 28.9% conversion rate in the regular season.

Vilardi’s return comes at a crucial point in the series. After scoring seven goals at home to take a 2-0 series lead, Winnipeg managed to put the puck past Jordan Binnington just three times in Games 3 and 4 as St. Louis stormed back to tie the series. It’s now a best-of-three between the Presidents’ Trophy winners and the second wild-card team in the West.

Alex Iafallo, fresh off an extension, has taken Vilardi’s place on the top line to begin the series. He scored in Game 1 but hasn’t registered a point since and was a minus-five across Games 3 and 4. Inexplicably, his line with Connor and Scheifele has been the Jets’ worst at driving play in the postseason. The trio’s 36.7% expected goals share is the only Jets line with at least 10 minutes of ice time to register an xG share under 50, per MoneyPuck. In the regular season, Connor and Scheifele controlled 52.6% of expected goals when paired with Vilardi.

Photo courtesy of Terrence Lee-Imagn Images.

Jets Recall Five Black Aces

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With their AHL affiliate’s season over, the Jets announced they’ve recalled five players from the Manitoba Moose to serve as extras for the remainder of their playoff run. Forwards Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Mason Shaw, and defensemen Dylan Coghlan, Isaak Phillips, and Elias Salomonsson will travel with the Jets and practice with the club while technically being available for game action if necessary.

Jonsson-Fjallby did not appear for Winnipeg in the regular season, his first campaign without an NHL appearance since 2020-21. The 27-year-old Swede was on a one-way deal this year so he still received his league-minimum $775K salary, but the pending unrestricted free agent seems unlikely to remain with the Jets beyond this playoff run as a result. The fifth-round pick of the Capitals back in 2016 struggled to produce with Manitoba this year as well, limited to 12-15–27 in 65 games after posting 30 points in only 41 AHL contests last year. He last saw NHL ice for Winnipeg in the 2024 postseason and has 23 points in 99 career NHL games across three seasons.

Shaw also did not make an NHL appearance in 2024-25. It was his first professional season outside the Wild organization, which drafted him in the fourth round in 2017 but did not tender him a qualifying offer last summer after he recovered from his fourth ACL surgery (twice in each knee). After landing a two-way deal with Winnipeg a few days later, Shaw cleared waivers at the beginning of the season and reported to Manitoba. The 26-year-old posted a 17-20–37 scoring line with 114 PIMs and a -21 rating in his first non-injury plagued season since 2021-22. Winnipeg can retain the 26-year-old’s signing rights with a qualifying offer this summer, but he’s eligible for salary arbitration.

[RELATED: NHL Arbitration-Eligible Free Agents For 2025]

Coghlan is the only member of the group to appear in a regular-season game for the Jets this year. He skated in six games in December and January after spending the first two months of the season as a healthy scratch. After clearing waivers, he was assigned to Manitoba for the rest of the season in mid-January. While he went without a point in his six big-league games, the two-way righty lit up the minors with a 12-16–28 scoring line in just 36 appearances for the Moose. He’s one year removed from leading the AHL in goals by a defenseman but sits firmly in the No. 10 spot on Winnipeg’s defense depth chart behind names like Ville Heinola, Colin Miller, and Logan Stanley.

Phillips played early in the season with the Blackhawks but didn’t see a recall to the Jets’ roster after they acquired him via trade in January. The 2020 fifth-rounder has 2-10–12 with a -37 rating in 56 career appearances with Chicago over the past four years. A pending RFA with arbitration rights, the young shutdown blueliner had 3-5–8 with a -11 rating in 39 appearances for Manitoba after the trade.

Salomonsson has yet to make his NHL debut but is likely Winnipeg’s top prospect at this point. The 20-year-old rearguard adjusted well in his first season in North America in 2024-25, logging heavy minutes for Manitoba and finishing second among their defensemen in scoring behind Coghlan with 5-22–27 in 53 games. The smooth-skating 6’2″, 185-lb righty is a long shot to make next season’s opening night roster but is likely to at least make his big-league debut within the next 12 months.

What Does Alexandar Georgiev’s Future Look Like?

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Pending UFA goaltender Alexandar Georgiev picked a bad time to post career lows last season. After a December trade, Georgiev spent the end of last season with the San Jose Sharks and concluded a three-year, $10.2MM contract he’d signed with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022. The 29-year-old’s timing could not have been worse from a market perspective, as he went from a goaltender who could have inked a lucrative multi-year deal to a netminder whose future NHL prospects are murky. So, what exactly is Georgiev’s future?

This past season, split between Colorado and San Jose, Georgiev posted the worst numbers of his career with a 15-26-4 record, a .875 SV%, and a 3.71 GAA. His -17.9 goals saved above expected was the second-worst number in the entire NHL (as per MoneyPuck) and is nowhere close to the previous two years in Colorado, where Georgiev had much more success.

In Georgiev’s first season in Colorado (2022-23), he was a workhorse starter and exceeded expectations, registering 21.9 goals saved above expected and a 40-16-6 record with a 2.53 GAA. He appeared to be everything the Avalanche hoped for when they sent three picks to the New York Rangers to acquire him, and Colorado looked poised for a Stanley Cup repeat. Unfortunately for Colorado, they were knocked out of the first round in seven games by the Kraken, through no fault of Georgiev’s, who was solid in that series.

In year two with Colorado, Georgiev showed signs of a potential downfall as his GAA ballooned to 3.02, and his SV% fell to .897. Georgiev remained a workhorse that season, dressing in 62 games, but the warts in his game began to show, eventually leading to the trade this season and a future that isn’t nearly as bright as it once appeared.

The Sharks have already told Georgiev that they will not be offering him an extension, which means he will find a new home for the third time in three years this summer. Now, where that home is and what that role looks like will be revealed in time, but there will be no shortage of options for Georgiev as the free-agent goaltending market is so weak that he might be the best option available.

The ideal scenario for Georgiev would be to find a team that needs a secondary piece in tandem. In a perfect world, that team would be a playoff contender and not a rebuilding club like he found himself last year in San Jose. Georgiev can put up decent numbers, and if he can prove himself to be competent again, he will open the door for multi-year offers next summer.

Georgiev’s history of starting 40-plus games makes him an option of interest for clubs, alongside Jake Allen and Frederik Andersen. Both those men profile as stronger goaltenders at the moment, but Andersen likely shouldn’t play more than 30 games in a season due to injuries, and Allen has been a backup since 2019, although he is an adequate 1B option for a team seeking a tandem. Teams will be interested in Georgiev’s youth compared to other UFAs and his ability to win behind a good team. Georgiev has shown he can get the job done playing behind a strong team, making him a good fit in a place like Carolina or New Jersey should Andersen or Allen depart their respective teams. Many teams need goaltending, meaning Georgiev will likely have multiple offers and options.

Now, what those offers will look like remains to be seen, but given his recent work, it’s safe to say they will come in the form of one-year deals. AFP Analytics is projecting a one-year contract in the range of $2.5MM for Georgiev, which aligns with what Pittsburgh backup Alex Nedeljkovic will also take home next season. AFP used multiple comparables to arrive at that number, with the most recent comp being Ilya Samsonov’s one-year, $1.8MM deal with the Vegas Golden Knights that was signed last summer.

Georgiev probably would have scoffed at a contract offer like that last summer, but this is the unpredictability of the goalie position, and he could be in a very different spot a year from now if he can get back to the form he showed just a few years ago. The NHL is starved for goaltending, and GMs are more than happy to give money to career backups if they can show even a hint of being an average starter. The perfect example is Kevin Lankinen of the Vancouver Canucks, who went from accepting a one-year deal last September for just above the league minimum to signing a five-year extension with the Canucks that will pay him $22.5MM. There are opportunities for Georgiev if he can find a situation that suits his needs and gives him the best chance to re-establish himself as a solid NHL netminder. The future might be murky now, but goaltending is incredibly hard to predict, and lesser goaltenders than Georgiev have gotten back on track after seeing a dip in their play.

Photo by D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Connor Hellebuyck, Darcy Kuemper, Andrei Vasilevskiy Named Vezina Trophy Finalists

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Connor Hellebuyck of the Jets, Darcy Kuemper of the Kings, and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Lightning have been selected as the NHL’s Vezina Trophy finalists as the league’s top goaltender for the 2024-25 season, the league announced today (X link).

Hellebuyck backstopped a Jets roster that faced some question marks at the beginning of the season to the franchise’s first Presidents’ Trophy, posting a league-best 47-12-3 record in his 62 starts and one relief appearance. It’s Hellebuyck’s third consecutive Vezina nomination, and it comes in conjunction with his second straight Jennings Trophy for tending the goal of the league’s stingiest defensive team on the whole.

Playoff performance so far notwithstanding, Hellebuyck’s regular-season numbers have him as the clear favorite to win the Vezina for the second year in a row and the third time in his career. That’s certainly a long way off from Jacques Plante’s record of seven, but he could be the first one to join the three-time club since Martin Brodeur won his third of four in 2007.

Hellebuyck led the league in goals against average (2.00), shutouts (eight), and goals saved above expected (39.6, per MoneyPuck). That’s the best figure a goalie has posted in a season since Juuse Saros posted a remarkable 46.7 GSAx in the 2022-23 campaign. Hellebuyck’s .925 SV% also ranks second among goalies who played 25 or more games, just one tick behind the Maple Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz. He’s not a finalist, but he will almost certainly be in the top 10 when the voting results are announced next month.

Vasilevskiy will likely finish as Hellebuyck’s runner-up. The Big Cat had a resurgent 2024-25 campaign after an unusually pedestrian showing in 2023-24, logging a .921 SV%, 2.18 GAA, six shutouts, and a 38-20-5 record in a league-high 63 starts. That .921 mark was Vasilevsky’s highest in four years, and the now five-time finalist also finished second in the league behind Hellebuyck with 29.2 goals saved above expected. That’s also a career-high for the 30-year-old.

Kuemper, 34, also exploded for a bounce-back season. After struggling over the first two seasons of the five-year, $26.25MM pact he signed with the Capitals in free agency following his Stanley Cup win with the Avalanche in 2022, Washington traded him to the Kings in a swap of anchor contracts for Pierre-Luc Dubois. Now a clear win-win deal, Kuemper posted a 31-11-7 record in 50 starts for L.A. and posted a .921 SV%, 2.02 GAA, and five shutouts for his best numbers since his Cup-winning campaign. He’s a Vezina finalist for the first time in his 13-year career after finishing fifth and seventh in voting in 2019 and 2020, respectively, while a member of the Coyotes.

Photo courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images.

Drake Caggiula Likely To Sign In Sweden

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Oilers pending unrestricted free agent forward Drake Caggiula appears likely to head overseas for the first time in his career. He’s received strong interest from Swedish Hockey League clubs Brynäs IF and Djurgårdens IF ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, the latter of which just gained promotion from the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan (per Tomas Ros and Hans Abrahamsson of Aftonbladet).

The 30-year-old Caggiula has spent the last two years primarily with Edmonton’s AHL affiliate in Bakersfield. It’s his second stint in the Oilers organization after beginning his professional career in Edmonton as an undrafted free agent signing out of the University of North Dakota in 2016. This season, the Ontario native led the Condors with 24 goals in 62 games and added 28 assists for 52 points. He also posted a +20 rating, the highest of his professional career.

Caggiula also saw brief NHL action for Edmonton, posting an assist in seven games over multiple call-ups early in the season. That marked his first NHL games in over a year and a half. He last appeared for the Penguins in March 2023.

A solid bottom-six scorer in Edmonton to begin his career, he hasn’t played more than 40 NHL games in a season since before the COVID-19 pandemic, and his chances of doing so again are slim given his age. It’s not entirely unsurprising to see a starring role in a top-flight European league look appealing to him compared to a more unstable minor-league lifestyle. The 5’10”, 179-lb forward has a 46-46–92 scoring line in 289 career NHL games with a -29 rating.

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